How do people with IQs of 160 view people with IQs of 140?

[Answered on Quora.com by Ethereal Aspie Barbie]

I’ve tested at the 99.9th percentile. I’m a member of Mensa. It’s not a good thing.

One of the recurring topics in LinkedIn’s validated members only Mensa group is “If we’re so smart, why are we so much less successful than everyone who is less smart!”

I’ve come to understand there is an EXTREMELY high correlation between excessively high IQ and Asperger’s Syndrome. (Now merged with HFA: High Functioning Autism, as of the DSM V).

So that old phrase, “There’s a fine line between genius and insanity” should be restated as “There’s a fine line between genius and Asperger’s.” (I’ve been saying this for years. Maybe writing it here will finally get it to gain some traction).

But here’s the thing. It’s true! Asperger’s Syndrome is finally being appropriately recognized, first and foremost, as a sensory overload disorder. Why?

Imagine that you are running your hand across a wooden table top. Now imagine that your brain is trying to process every permutation of the texture of the table — just because it can! Sound cool? It’s not! Not when it happens with every single sensory input surrounding you every day.

I'd explain it to psychiatrists and neurologists this way:

“Have you ever been in the King of Prussia Mall (the largest shopping mall in the U.S. measured by square foot of retail space) 2 days before Christmas? You know what that feels like? You can’t wait to get out, right? Too much noise. Too many crazed people shopping. Too much sensory overload!”

“Now imagine every moment of every day of your life feels just like this. How do you cope? You learn to shut it out and shut yourself down."

Human contact is the most intense recurring sensory experience. It’s why one of the classic signs of Aspergers (and exceptionally high IQ) is that you can’t look at someone directly in the eyes. Your brain "sees" too much. Your whole person FEELS too much. It’s literally physically painful. So what do we do? We don’t look. We shut it out.

Then we fail to develop appropriate social skills. We don’t learn how to make friends. We don’t develop the political skills it takes to rise to the ranks of leadership in corporate America. We become bona fide NERDS! Or just socially inappropriate. And now we're back to that Mensa LinkedIn discussion.

When, at the age of 25, we get around to reading Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” we cry through the whole book. Thinking to ourselves, “If only someone had given me this book in kindergarten…" (yes, we could have read it and understood it back then; we were doing algebra, after all) "I might have had a chance at actually making friends as a kid.”

Directly answering the question asked here:

Ultimately and essentially, we’re left envying people who are more "normal." Or at least those with an IQ of 140. 130 is probably a little more enviable. But we wouldn’t know for sure since people don’t have the ability to relate to someone with greater than a 30 IQ point difference. Guys, please remember this when choosing a partner. You probably already know it, but intellect becomes a physiological NEED, not a “nice to have.” If you’re going for “looks” and not finding love, this is why.

People with excessively high IQs live with constant psychological pain. Especially without the help of mind-numbing drugs. Whether SSRIs, SNRIs, DRIs, benzodiazepines, marijuana, or alcohol.

Here's one you might not have heard before: People with exceptionally high IQs can also immediately tell when another person has an exceptionally high IQ by simply by observing how they move. Truly! No words needed.

We can observe the ways in which a person responds to physical stimuli and notice if they are shuddering ever so slightly from the sensory processing. The more (barely perceptible) shuddering, the higher their IQ. More proof that our bodies are simply not equipped to handle that level of neuroprocessing power.

A prominent neurology researcher in the Netherlands believes higher IQs are the next phase of human evolution. I hope he’s right. Because it would mean our bodies will finally catch up with our brains to be able to handle merely existing. It’s just a shame that I (or both of my siblings who committed suicide because of it) won’t ever get to experience that.

Time it took to write/rant about all this? Eighteen minutes. Go figure. Hopefully this will help someone someday. Or at least provide some insight as to the cause of anxiety and depression. Therapy is great, but it’s intended for psychological disorders, not neurological disorders. Excessively high IQ is a neurological disorder.

I’m sure some people out there will disagree with this last statement. But please know this: if you disagree and also have an exceptionally high IQ, you’re extremely rare and fortunate. So please don’t lash out at me for opening up the way I did here in such a public forum.

Additional Information to Hopefully Help with Recurring Questions

But first, I want to send out a "Thank You!" to everyone who has contributed. I'm trying to reply to as many of you as I can, but since there are a few recurring questions, I thought I'd add this edit to address them here.

1) For those of you wanting to read about some of the newer clinical/scientific data about the relationship between autism and IQ, please take a look at this article on the US NIH website: Autism As a Disorder of High Intelligence. It’s a bit technical and brain structure focused, but the Abstract provides a good summary. The references cited might answer other technical questions for you as well. My take on the article? It’s interesting and compelling, but I’m not yet comfortable agreeing with the title. The content after the title is credible.

2) In light of the above, please know I'm NOT suggesting everyone with Asperger's has an exceptionally high IQ. What I am saying is — in my own personal and professional experience — I've yet to meet a person with an exceptionally high IQ who doesn't present with some characteristics of sensory overload, which overlaps with HFA/Asperger's. Since correlation does not equal causality, I've tried to be careful about implying direct causality. But, if the idea of a causal relationship interests you (one way or another), please read the (anecdotal) comments below from people with personal experience.

3) If you're curious about whether or not Asperger's may apply to you, I recommend taking this quiz TWICE: Autism And Asperger's Quiz. First, as the person you are today. Then again as your 15-year old self, before you mastered whatever techniques you use today to be more socially successful. The test is interesting, but there's a good chance you'll find the before and after contrast even more interesting.

Thank you again for your participation, as well as your kindness, encouragement and support!